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This article is from the Fall 1997AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

Pet Projects

Raisin Boxes

By Nichole Royer

From Madeline Guzman, Rockville, MD
I have found that a fun activity for my hamsters
is to give them one of those small Dole or SunMaid raisin
boxes (full of raisins of course!). When they get through
tearing the box open, there is a ready-to-eat treat inside.
You can replace the raisins with other hamster treats and
reclose the box.

On the other hand, maybe I’m projecting. It could be
that this activity is more fun for me to watch than for the
hamster to do!

Notes From Nichole

Nancy Ferris was kind enough to send in this great
rodent activity she found on the Hamsters Mailing List
(reprinted with permision from the author). Our rats and
mice will have as much fun with this one as the hamsters do.
With rats and mice it might be a good idea to open up the
box and remove some of the raisins first. Unlike hamsters,
our critters are unlikly to store most of the treats for
later use, and they might get a belly ache (or worse) if
they ate the whole box in one sitting.

Cereal Box bonanza

Another take on this theme is to give rats and mice
(and hamsters) one of those single serving size cereal
boxes. Choose a healthy (low sugar, etc.) cereal, and make
sure the box doesn’t have a plastic liner. Rats will
shred the box, while mice will chew dainty little holes in
it, then use it for a nest when it is empty.

My critters loved this one, and the raisins as well. They
have decided that any strange box is for their enjoyment. I
don’t know who has more fun, the critters playing, or
me watching!